The five bhavas in Bhakti
There are five kinds of bhavas, or mental attitudes and attributes, of
devotees towards God. The devotee can strive to cultivate any one of the five
bhavas according to his temperament, taste and capacity in order to establish a
close relationship with the divine. After selecting the bhava, the devotee
should develop it gradually to a maximum degree. The bhavas differ in type and
intensity of feeling.
Shant
bhava -- loving God as a supreme governor
This is the bhava of sanyasi and gyani of the highest order. It is the
attitude of the saintly disciple’s relationship with the Lord, where emotions
are stilled and direct consciousness of God is experienced. The santa bhakta is
indifferent to worldly things and is entirely dispassionate. He is always
tranquil and undisturbed by external events. All emotion and feeling is fused
with the divine.
Dasya
bhava -- loving God as a master
In this bhava the devotee thinks that he is the servant of God. He considers
himself as inferior to God and considers it his duty to worship and love God,
for God is his master. He serves God and serves the whole world as the
manifestation of God, for everything else except himself is God.
Sakhya bhava -- loving God as your close friend
In sakhya bhava the bhakta thinks of the Lord as his friend, the supreme
comrade and sole companion. He is the lover, protector and guide, and considers
His devotee as a friend. The Lord says, “I am in my devotee’s heart, and the
devotee is in My heart.” The devotee considers God as his equal in relation,
status and qualification. A friend cannot live without the company of the other
friend. The devotee cannot live without God.
Vatsalya
bhava --loving God as your child
In vatsalya bhava the devotee takes the attitude of parent and child in
one’s relationship with the Lord. The lordship of God is sublimated to a state
of the affection of childhood. There is equality in this bhava between the
worshipper and worshipped, cultivated by respect and honour. This bhava demands
purity, boldness, understanding and courage. When bhakti develops and matures,
this bhava comes by itself.
Madhurya
bhava -- tloving God as your beloved
The bhakta entertains the idea of lover and beloved. Love for God is not
partial. Love for God is the completeness of emotion. It is not carnal love,
but pure love devoid of clinging to earthliness. This is the highest form of
Bhakti. The devotee regards the Lord as his Lover. This was the relation
between Radha and Krishna. This is
Atma-Samarpana. The lover and the beloved become one. The devotee and God feel
one with each other and still maintain separateness in order to enjoy the bliss
of the play of love between them. This is oneness in separation and separation
in oneness. Lord Gauranga, Jayadeva, Mira and Andal had this Bhava.